What Could Have Happened
by StellaPen
Summary: An alternate ending to the story, with Satine only sick but not dying.


Note: This is my first attempt at song fic so please R&R!  
  
Disclaimers: Moulin Rouge and all the characters and songs in it do not belong to me! They belong to 20th Century Fox, and "She Loves You" belongs to the Beatles. "When You Believe" is Dreamworks. So don't come hunt me down and told me I stole all these things! I did not! However, certain characters might be nice…  
  
Time: a few hours after the curtain fell on the opening night of "Spectacular, Spectacular"  
  
  
  
The doctor quickly ran to Chocolate. "Take the news to Christian, hurry!"   
  
Chocolate nodded once and swept out of the dark elephant. On his way through the park where people laughed and had fun unaware of the tragedy this place cause, Chocolate ran into Harold Zidler.  
  
Zidler grabbed his arm. "How is she?"  
  
"It was not consumption," sighed Chocolate. "Just a very bad case of influenza, the doctor thinks. She should be fine…as far as her health goes, I mean."  
  
Zidler let the man go, since he knew he was going to tell Christian, because true love really did last forever. As Chocolate departed from the Moulin Rouge, Zidler sat down at a dark table in the corner of the park to think things over.   
  
For a few moments he just watched the happy people having a good time all around him. They were all laughing and joking loudly. He himself sang a song every week that went, "At the Moulin Rouge, you'll have fun!" Yet he knew this was a lie, and the smiles around him were masks. No one wanted to be here. There were so many better places in the world. Zidler had believed this for a while, but only recently had he realized why. At the Moulin Rouge you could never find true love. It was never the real thing. All you could get here was drunken fun and one-night stands. Until one day a boy and a girl came along who found out what it truly meant to love. And these two had been resented by all the other dancers at the Moulin Rouge, because they had what everyone else here could never have. The real thing.  
  
Zidler broke his musings about others, and knew that he too wanted out of here. But while he was here, he wanted to help the few friends he had. He quickly ran through the happy, smiling, lying crowd to beat Chocolate to Christian's hotel room. Running was not something Zidler excelled at, but he wanted so badly to tell Christian the news himself.  
  
He caught up with Chocolate at the door to the hotel room and grabbed his arm. "Please let me tell him. This is partly my fault anyways."   
  
Chocolate looked taken aback for a moment, but left to give them their privacy. Zidler did not bother knocking and entered to find the young man asleep, fully clothed, on his cot. He looked at the boy's face for a moment. He obviously had been sobbing. On his table was a half empty glass of absinthe. This again reminded Zidler of the tragedy at the Moulin Rouge.  
  
He nervously tapped Christian's shoulder, and Christian suddenly violently leapt up and grabbed Zidler's arm "Leave me alone if you don't bring good news!"  
  
Zidler knew Christian was in a mixed state of rage and sadness which had caused a deep depression. He did not blame him violent actions. Although he did make sure to keep his tone level.  
  
"Please calm yourself. I bring no bad news."  
  
Christian stared at Zidler's face for a moment and then collapsed on his bed, apparently too tired and depressed to listen to anything. Zidler prepared himself for Christian's reaction. "Satine is not dying. She only had influenza and will soon be fully healed."  
  
Christian did not appear at all surprised by this. Zidler studied his face. "Something still troubles you, but what?"  
  
"I don't know what to believe," the young poet sighed. "She lied to me. She told me it was all an act and she was staying with the Duke, but she sang our song at the play. I don't know what to believe," he repeated. He was staring mournfully out his window at the view of Paris, hugging his knees against his chest. Zidler had great sympathy for him.   
  
"Believe that she loves you."  
  
Christian looked at Zidler as if asking for proof. The stars began to twinkle and soft light shone as Zidler began to sing a thoughtful version of a song.  
  
"You think you lost your love,  
Well I saw her yesterday.  
It's you she's thinking of,  
And she told me what to say.  
She said she loves you,  
And you know that can't be bad.  
Yes she loves you,  
And you know you should be glad!"  
  
Christian did not let Zidler finish the song as he rushed out the hotel. He ran into the cold night air, and a broad smile filled his face. He stopped at the base of the elephant and stared up at the sky. He wondered how many people throughout the universe had shared similar stories, and how many knew how fragile love could be.  
  
He turned and faced the elephant, and belted as loud as he could,  
  
"There can be miracles!  
When you believe.  
Though hope is frail,  
It's hard to kill.  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve.  
When you believe,  
Somehow you will,  
You will when you believe!"  
  
Christian felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around. He thought his heart would stop. The love of life began to sing with him:  
  
"Now I'm standing here  
With heart so full I can't explain.  
Seeking faith and speaking words  
I never thought I'd say!"  
  
Satine embraced Christian tightly and didn't let go for a long time. They both wished this moment would last forever. When she finally pulled back she brushed his hair away from his forehead and he kissed her lightly.  
  
"Christian…" Satine began. "I'm still afraid. I don't want anyone like the Duke to come between us again."  
  
Christian lightly held the side of her face with his hand. "Nothing can pull us apart. No more evil maharajas. This is true love. You think this happens everyday?"  
  
Satine pulled him towards her once more, and whispered in his ear,   
  
"Come what may,   
I will love you,   
until the end of time."   
  
Christian took her hand and lead her away from the elephant and eventually from the Moulin Rouge. As they kept walking and the nightclub faded from view, they knew that sad memories would fade with it. Happy memories and love would last forever. 


End file.
